Ophelia's POV
By the heavens, do we get what we deserve? I didn't deserve this. I was never a bad person. Why were the heavens so hell bent on my life going to hell? I am a good person.
I've been in this desolate place of not fucking return for a month now and I am starting to question if I am actually mentally stable. Today is Sage's birthday, he turns twenty nine years old today. For the past eight years I've wished him a happy birthday and today I can't do that.
It's a damn hellhole here and Magnus has a habit of coming in at random times to whip me. Yes, I heal but it hurts and it gets more and more painful.
As I sat on the ground looking sullen, a familiar sound rang across the dungeons. It was the bastard's footsteps.
"Oh Magnus, what a pleasure for you to bless us with your unwanted presence,'' Nymeria mocked and I laughed.
"Shut it!" He commanded and made her unable to move.
"Let me guess something went wrong and now you are here to take it out on me?" I cocked a brow.
He signaled for the guard to open the door and she did, he walked in holding an even larger whip. Where in the realms was he getting whips of this size, this is not in the least bit normal. Prior to my arrest, my only experience with whips was during the incident.
The whip made contact with my skin and I yelled so loud that my throat hurt, I was panting and shaking and I could not even think properly.
"You know Ophelia, you still cry the same way, you'd think that after 10 years it would change," he laughed.
What was he- and then it hit me. He was the one that kidnapped me when I was sixteen. That's why the whip looked familiar. That's why he always unsettled me. Makes sense why the seer is here too. It all adds up.
"You sick bastard!" I cursed and he hit me again.
"It's a shame the way you talk, if not I would have considered having mercy on you. You are so pretty after all," his eyes raked across my body and at this point I'd rather be whipped again.
"Okay pervert, you are old enough to be my father," and then I gagged. The gag must have annoyed him because he whipped me, my skin has gone through a lot.
When he was done I had a series of bruises and cuts on my skin and to make it worse he kicked me so hard that I slammed against the wall. It was beginning to get repetitive. He could at least switch up his methods.
He walked out and I turned to the old man,"When did he capture you?" I asked for the sake of verification.
"When you were around fifteen."
"And he made you tell him your vision?"
"Yes," well that makes sense.
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Sage's POV
Today was the day we get my princess back and I was ready to end anyone who jeopardized the mission. Today also happened to be my birthday. How lovely. It would be the best gift if we got the princess back safe and sound.
It was sunset and all the royals were gathered in the courtyard along with the guards they intended to take.
We were going over the plan to ensure no mistakes would be made. A mistake would cost us our lives and I highly doubted anyone had a death wish. Maybe some of them were suicidal, I don't know what goes on inside people's heads.
Our plan was to go to a site far enough from the place but close enough for the sirens and dragon born to be able to get there in time. Everyone was dressed in black to allow us to blend in with the night.
"Sir Caddell, take this," and Queen Elara pulled out a necklace, with a purple stone in the middle.
"This should be able to get you into the palace. Just visualize where you want to go and it gets you there. Beat in mind it only works once, so you have to find my daughter if you want to get out,"she told me and I nodded.
"Thank you, your majesty," I said as I bowed my head.
"Let's go!" The queen commanded and she began the teleportation spell.
She moved her hands in the air and soon her eyes glowed and a portal opened beneath our feet, which we all unsurprisingly fell through. Everyone struggled to gain their balance and I was happy for the amount of times the princess teleported without warning.
"We have to move quick, we'll follow them from behind and as soon as the guards are down we strike, not a second later," King Arien told his group and they all nodded.
"Before we go, put these in your ears,"Queen Azura said and all her guards brought out ear plugs of the sort, and started handing them out to all the men.
"Put them on and you won't be affected by our voices," and I put them on.
"Let's move them," The orc prince said and we all nodded.
The sirens went first, flanked on both sides by the dragon born. One by one the men in front went frozen and the women in front looked around. Before any of them could react, they were smothered by either a siren or dragon born. Each one of them who refused to be silent had their necks slit.
After the front defenses were down the Phoenix born and orcs moved on to bring down the wall. I saw Queen Elara raise the same barrier that the princess does. That way they would not be seen or heard.
Since no one was around me anymore, I shifted, so in the chance someone saw me, they would think I was one of their own, as long as they didn't look me in the eye. I visualized where I wanted to go in the palace and with the help of the necklace, I was in the dungeons.
I quite literally ran down the line and on all sides of me I saw shapeshifters who looked terrified. What in the realms was this. I walked down the line, looking for the princess and I finally found her. I have never felt so relieved in my life. She sat on the ground, with her head bowed.
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Ophelia's POV
"Your highness," I heard a voice call in a low tone, but the tone sounded familiar. I looked up and saw someone I didn't recognize, but their eyes were all too familiar.
"Sage?" It better be him, because it would be so awkward if it was not.
"In the flesh, princess," he smiled and waved his hands over his face, with that he turned back into himself.
"How are you here?" I asked on the verge of tears.
"We're here to get you, by we I mean your parents, the wall should come down any minute and the magic barrier will come down. Then you can teleport," he said rather quickly.
"I'm not going alone, I'm taking everyone here with us," I told him and that's when he finally realized there was someone else in my cell.
He stared at Nymeria for a minute and then looked away, meanwhile Nymeria was looking at him looking like she wanted to cry.
"Who is…" he drawled, most likely about to ask who she was, but the wall came down at that moment and we had to move.
I moved my hands in a circle around myself and in a split second all of us, including the captured shapeshifters, the seer and Sage's mom were gone.
We appeared where the Phoenix born and orcs were and they all looked shocked to see me, at a distance I saw the dragon born and sirens and teleported us to them who once again looked shocked to see me.
Now I had to get over a hundred people to Alervan, fun.
I quickly teleported us to the courtyard in Alervarn and everyone looked around to see if we were safe. When they saw we were in Alervan they visually relaxed, the way I sighed. I felt like they had just removed bricks from my shoulder.
The maids and help in the courtyard looked shocked, I don't blame them.
My mother ran through the crowd of people I teleported to hug me and after she let go, my father embraced me in his hands. There's something so calming about my father's hugs.
"Princess, welcome back," Queen Azure smiled.
"It's good to be back,"I laughed.
" Excuse me, your highness," I turned my head and saw it was the people in the cell next to mine.
"Yes?"
"We just wanted to thank you, not just my family but all of us here," he gestured to all the shapeshifters.
"But I didn't do much," I told them.
"That may be true, but if you choose to take all of us, we wouldn't be here right now. We are forever indebted to you," and they all bowed down… to me.
"I just did the right thing," I smiled but they did not get up, O- Kay, I may never get used to people bowing.
"Rise," I commanded and they all stood up.
"Get them into rooms and find some clothes for all of them," I told the people around and they got them moving.
After everyone got into the palace. I wanted to take a bath, the grime on my skin was getting on my nerves.
I got into the palace, with Sage following behind me and went to my room, on the way there I saw Avila.
She ran to hug me and I nearly fell down.
"Hi Avila," I smiled, looking at her, as she was still hugging me.
"Ophelia, I thought you were going to die," she sobbed.
"I did too, but I am alive, so it's fine," I told her after we separated.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"I need to clean up,the grime on my skin is annoying, oh I brought some people and they need help, could you go and get them clothes, I'll come along when I'm clean," I told her and she nodded. Then she left.
I got into my room and Sage followed me in and shut the door.
"Sage, what are you doing here?" I turned around and saw him seating on my bed.
"Forgive me, princess," he begged and my eyes widened.
"What?" I was genuinely lost, and this man got on his knees in front of me and I blinked to make sure I was seeing right.
"I am so sorry princess," and he placed his head on ground in front of me. Sage is not the kind of person I would imagine doing this. He has this 'I would kill you just because' look and that same man was on his knees, head down in front of me.
"It's fine I forgive you," I knelt down to meet him.
He raised his head to look at me and I hugged him.
"Magnus is an asshole, it's not your fault. Yes, I was mad that you didn't tell me anything for so long, but it's fine," I said during the hug.
"You should hate me," he murmured.
"I don't think I could,'' I told him and we pulled apart.
We stood up and I stared at him,"Thank you."
"Why?"
"For getting me out of there."
"I was slowly going insane without you here," he laughed.
"Madness was courting me and at some point I wanted to fall into it's embrace," I am shocked I didn't actually go mad.
"I need a shower," I told him and he nodded. I walked towards my closet to get clothes and I was about to enter the bathroom when he pulled me back and kissed me. In the one month I had been gone, almost for what his kisses felt like.
"I missed you, my princess," he breathed out.
"I missed you, more Mr.Caddell."